Passalus (Pertinax) doesburgi (Boucher, 2015) Boucher, 2015

Jiménez-Ferbans, Larry, Reyes-Castillo, Pedro & Schuster, Jack C., 2015, Passalidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) of the Greater and Lesser Antilles, Zootaxa 3956 (4), pp. 491-512 : 503-504

Passalus (Pertinax) doesburgi (Boucher, 2015) new combination

( Figs. 15 , 18 )

Type locality. Dominican Republic.

Material examined. 10 specimens. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Pedernales, Las Abejas, 38 km NNW Cabo Rojo, 18°09'N, 71°38'W, Robert L. Davidson 1160m 13-July-1987 // Passalus (Pertinax) dominicanus van Doesburg det.: J. Schuster 1987 Lacks prominent internal tubercles (1♀ UVGC); Prov. Pedernales, Pedernales, Las Abejas, Sierra Bahoruco 27.VI.1989, M.N.H.N., col.: Matusik-Guerrero, 34956, Passalus dominicanus det. Maes '95 (1♀ IEXA); Pedernales, Las Abejas, Sierra Bahoruco 18-28.VI.1989, leg. Matusik // Passalus (Pertinax) dominicanus det. A.R. Gillogly, 1998 // Passalus (Pertinax) doesburgi (Boucher) det.: Jiménez-Ferbans, 2015 (8 FMNH).

Diagnosis. 26.6–28.4 mm mm total length. Clypeus hidden below frons, slightly visible dorsally, with anterior angles well developed, larger than mediofrontal tubercles. Frons border with notch, without secondary mediofrontal tubercles. Frontal fossae glabrous. Mediofrontal tubercles developed, not joined to interior tubercles. Internal tubercles smaller than mediofrontal tubercles. Central tubercle of MFS with apex not free; basolateral tubercles weak. Antennal club trilamellate, with short lamellae. Apex of lacinia bidentate. Median basal region of mentum protruding and pubescent posteriorly. Prosternal process rhomboidal, acute. Mesosternum glabrous without scars. Anterolateral metasternum and lateral groove glabrous, disc delimited by punctures in posterior area. Humeri and epipleura glabrous.

Distribution. Dominican Republic, from mid-altitudes of Sierra Bahoruco, an area dominated by cloud forest ( Cámara 2004).

Comments. Boucher (2015b) described the genus Antillanax Boucher for the species Passalus dominicanus , P. p e r t y i, and P. doesburgi . However, Boucher (2015b) stated “Following the phylogenetic advances on the Passalini, Antillanax is a possible relict of the “ Pertinax lineage” in the Greater Antilles”. This is somewhat congruent with the cladogram of Jiménez-Ferbans & Reyes-Castillo (2014), where Passalus dominicanus and P. pertyi are nested within Passalus (Pertinax) , and related to P. convexus . Since the genus Antillanax renders the subgenus Passalus (Pertinax) paraphyletic, we hereby place Antillanax in synonymy with Passalus (Pertinax) .

Figures

FIGURE 18. Passalus doesburgi head and anterior part of pronotum. Scale bar: 1 mm.

FIGURES 14 – 17. Head and pronotum, dorsal view. 14. Passalus pertyi. 15. Passalus doesburgi. 16. Paxillus jamaicensis. 17. Paxillus pentaphyllus. Scale bars: 1 mm.